A Foxes Den
by Picture Magpie
Summary: To escape Valentine’s day and all the horrors that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the middle of a foxes den. Rated for language and future situations. Sasunaru.
1. Rule twenty one

Okay, this is going to be a chaptered story, so don't panic at how short it is. This is chapter one of A Foxes Den

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

**A Foxes Den**

If he had known this was going to happen, he never would have tried it in the first place.

"Sasuuuuuuke-kun"

Sasuke cringed, turning slowly towards the high-pitched sound. It was his worse than he could have imagined. His fan club. His _whole_ fan club. Well, at least the section from the village.

_What in hell? _Thought Sasuke, backing slowly away from the mass of girls (and boys), who looked as if they'd jump him at any minute. _The only reason they ever swarm is on a holiday…_Thought Sasuke, Trying to piece together a reason for this unexpected mob_ Oh shit! Today's the fourteenth!_

Sasuke, you see, had forgotten that the fourteenth of February was Valentine's Day, also known as the day of bleeding ears and ripped clothes. The day he usually spent hiding in his house. The day he loathed above all others. The day he had forgotten existed this year. _How could I have forgotten such a thing? I usually mark these things on the calender._

"Sasuuuke? Won't you eat my home made chocolate?"

He had known something was wrong as soon as he had woken up this morning. He had felt it in the air. But, being in a rush to go train, and better himself, he had shaken off the feeling and left the house. This was his first mistake. A shinobi should always trust their senses, rule three hundred and two in the big shinobi handbook. How could he forget?

"Sasuuuuuke, let's run off and get married!"

"Shove off, I saw him first!"

"No way, I saw him way before any of you even knew he existed!"

"Oi! Sasuke no baka! What in hell are you doing over here? We were supposed to start training fifteen whole minutes ago? Are you daft?"

Now there was a voice that didn't belong within the high-pitched squeals of his fan club. Sasuke turned to his left, spotting the bright orange blur right away. _Thank God, I thought I would be stuck here for hours._

Naruto pushed his way through the swarm of lovesick females (and males), until he finally reached his best friend, who had been backed against the fence. Naruto gave him a funny look, trying to piece together the situation, before his face spread wide in a fox like grin.

"So, were you planning on missing training to play with your harem, Sasuke-_chan_?" Sasuke fought the urge to reach over and strangle the idiot. _So much for being saved._

"You know that's not what happened, dobe," growled Sasuke, wishing, yet again, that he had stayed in bed this morning. "Even you're not _that_ stupid."

"You can't call me names, bastard!" yelled Naruto, ignoring the dirty looks the mob of girls (and boys) were giving him.

"I just did" stated Sasuke, forgetting his situation, and the teeny, tiny fact that Naruto was his last hope to get out of this mess alive (without killing anyone of course).

"Well then, see if I help you out, you complete jerk! Bastard!" Naruto stalked away, blind to the looks of utter mortification Sasuke was sending in his direction. _Number one rookie my ass. I'm dumb as a post. _Thought Sasuke, beating himself up for his mistake while raking his brain for another solution to his current problem. He could pound Naruto into paste _after _he escaped.

_Dumb blond, leaving me here to fend for myself. What in seven hells am I supposed to do? It's not like I can slit their throats. I'm almost positive it would piss Hokage off (though maybe not, I mean who would miss a flock of whiny girls?). I don't even have a jutsu that would work in this situation…unless… I mean it's untested, but…maybe if I…_

A cloud of smoke suddenly surrounded the girls, making it impossible for them to see the object of their affections. When the smoke had finally dissipated, Sasuke was gone, and a small wolf cub was running hurriedly towards the forest. This of course, was Sasuke's second mistake. Rule twenty one clearly stated that _a shinobi must never, ever use a untested jutsu. That would be just plain stupid. _


	2. Answer's from my ear

Okay, this is going to be a chaptered story, so don't panic at how short it is. This is chapter two of A Foxes Den

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

**A Foxes Den**

Sasuke had to admit that this was perhaps the luckiest thing to have ever happened to him. Most times an untested jutsu would do horrible things to its user, if only because all the kinks had not been worked out yet. He had seen people melt or mutate, temporarily misplace a limb, or even bring their chakra level straight down to zero. And although it was usually pretty easy to fix, it was never a very happy or comfortable process. Yet Sasuke had pulled it off without a hitch. _Damn right, I'm not the number one rookie for nothing._

Sasuke had found this jutsu in one of his mother's old scrolls when his parents were still alive, and memorized it so that he could perfect it at a later date. It was almost a kind of let down to know that there was nothing wrong with the jutsu. He had been hoping to perfect it and make his parents proud. Too bad his brother had slaughtered his whole clan.

The jutsu is one to turn a person into their inner most animal, giving them all the abilities and disabilities of the form. It could either help or hinder you in battle, so it wasn't the most practical technique. It really did sound like something his mother would have created. She had a strange sense of humor that way.

Sasuke decided to run faster, just for the thrill of the moment. He had to say that a wolf had not been the form he had expected. _Is my inner animal really a wolf?_ _What a strange choice…_Hecouldn't say he hated it though. He could smell the water, grass and trees. The rocks, and earth, and sky, looked clearer then he had ever seen them before. Suddenly he smelt a smell he could not place, but loved all the same. It was calling to him, begging him to come bask in its glorious scent. So he did the logical thing and veered west to follow it. This was, of course, his third mistake.

* * *

Sasuke broke through the woods and into the clearing, still following the pleasing scent. As he drew nearer he noticed a heap of what looked like clothes. Sasuke soon discovered that the pile of fabric was covered in the scent that he still couldn't place. He stepped cautiously closer, suddenly realizing just how much of his energy his little run had used. His eyes were getting heavy, and his movements were getting sluggish. _Maybe I'll just lie down for a second _thought Sasuke, making a bed out of the cloth that smelt like heaven.

This was Sasuke's fourth mistake, on his amazing journey of mishaps. _A shinobi must never leave himself open for attack _is rule one hundred twelve of the shinobi handbook.

* * *

When Sasuke awoke, he was staring into a pair of large, caring eyes. This comforted Sasuke briefly until he remembered where and _what_ he was. He leapt up and scrambled backwards, trying to get away from the stranger.

"Whoa there, I'm not going to eat you. If you'll be so kind to recall, _you_ fell asleep on _my _stuff."

The voice sounded vaguely familiar so Sasuke stopped backing up and looked up to see the familiar face of his rival/best friend. Sasuke immediately stopped trying to retreat, relieved that it was only Naruto. _That was unexpected _thought Sasuke _but… if the clothes are his… then the smell I've been following belonged to…_

If a wolf could blush, Sasuke's face would have turned bright red right then and there.

"See, I wasn't expecting to find a wolf out here. Not too many tribes live in this area, and you don't seem to belong to any of them," mused Naruto out loud.

_Tribe? Does he realize he's talking to a supposed wolf? How would he even know what kind of animals this forest is home to? _Sasuke's mind swam with questions he could not answer.

"Are you all alone, cub?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side.

Sasuke copied his movements, seeing if the action actually did anything. He half expected the answer to his questions to fall out of his ear and into his hands… urrrmm… paws. The answers didn't and Sasuke felt somewhat cheated.

A droplet of water fell on his nose, followed closely by one on his paw. Soon the rain was coming down in a steady rhythm, soaking them both to the skin. Naruto jumped up and grabbed his clothes, cursing under his breath about his laundry. Naruto quickly finished gathering his stuff and was about to run out of the clearing, when he stopped abruptly and turned to look at the soaked cub, which was still sitting silently in the middle of the dell. Making a quick decision, Naruto turned back and picked up the small, wet, confused bundle of fluff (that was secretly Sasuke), before bolting home to save his laundry.

_What the hell am I supposed to do now?_ Thought Sasuke, berating himself up for his fifth mistake in one day.

* * *

**Thank you for reading chapter two of a foxes den. I'm terribly sorry for how short the chapters are, but it's incredibly difficult to do longer ones with my current schedule. On the bright side, this will probably mean I update faster. Oh, and I also apologize for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I'm self-checking and I sometimes don't notice if something is wrong because I know what it is supposed to say. I notice them after the chapter is already posted and have yet to learn how to make changes on so please bear with me. Thank you again.**


	3. Kit

Okay, this is going to be a chaptered story, so don't panic at how short it is. This is chapter two of A Foxes Den

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

A Foxes Den 

Sasuke had never been one to make mistakes. All his life, he had always had to be the best and brightest in order to live up to expectations of those around him. So for him to make _five_ whole mistakes in only _one _day had to be some sort of record. Sasuke usually tried to leave the mistakes to his blond companion. The companion who was currently lugging Sasuke towards his house post hast. Who would've guessed laundry was that important to Naruto.

_What am I going to do know?_ Pondered Sasuke, shivering as the cold rain soaked his newly found fur. _What if the dobe recognizes me? I'd never hear the end of it!_

Naruto made a sharp turn down an alleyway, quickly clearing it and emerged in front of a small housing complex. He ran up the stairs and stopped in front of a door to fumble with some keys. Sasuke was surprised that Naruto bothered to lock his door. The people of Konaha village rarely had to worry about such things. When Naruto had finally found the key and unlocked the door, Sasuke braced himself for the state he was sure Naruto's home would be in.

_My God! It's horrible! It's awful! It's…clean? What in hell?_

Naruto walked inside, took off his sandals, and carried Sasuke to his bedroom, where he placed the cub on his bed.

"Sit tight little one, I've got to bring in the laundry, and then I'll be back with some towels," said Naruto, closing the door and leaving Sasuke alone in the bedroom.

_I need to get out of here! Quick! _Thought Sasuke jumping off the bed and heading towards the only window in the room. He jumped, trying to reach the window, but just ended up falling flat on his snout.

Putting his paw on his throbbing nose and emitting a low whining sound, Sasuke tried to think past the pain and find a solution to his window problem.

_I need to get out of here! If I stay here, there's no way he wouldn't find me out. If only I could reach…the window…and…crap!_ Sasuke mentally slapped himself, wondering if Naruto was finally rubbing off on him. _I'm not_ _**really** a wolf; I'm a bloody ninja!_

Sasuke swiftly released the chakra holding the technique together and waited to revert back to his human form. And waited. And waited. And waited some more. _Nothing's happening! Why is nothing happening?_

_Damn it, no wonder this jutsu was locked in a trunk! _

"Knock, knock!" called Naruto, entering the bedroom with some fluffy, dry towels, only to find the wolf cub he had found earlier moping on his bedroom floor.

"I brought you some towels, so you can stop dripping water on my floor anytime now". Sasuke looked up, still gloomy at the prospect of being stuck looking like a wolf. _Why would he care if I drip on the floor? What does it really matter?_

"I know what you're thinking, but I clean too much as it is. I'm trying to break the habit," said Naruto, leaning over to dry Sasuke with a towel. By the time he was done, Sasuke looked as if he were an over-sized cotton ball. Sasuke sat glaring at Naruto, who was trying his best to keep a straight face. He was failing miserably.

"On the (_snrk) _bright side your_ (hahahe) _dry now" giggled Naruto, before completely dissolving into a fit of laughter. If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead and buried by now. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on who's side you're on), glares are a lot less effective when one is a wolf.

When Naruto had finally caught his breath, he scooped up Sasuke and headed down the hall to the kitchen.

"See, I personally can't work on a empty stomach, and I'm almost positive you could also go for a bite to eat" said Naruto, making small talk as he bustled around the kitchen. "I put off my studying to train with Sasuke today but the bugger ditched me to play with his fan club."

_What does he mean 'study'? _Thought Sasuke, watching Naruto fish through the cupboards for a pot. _Oh joy, we're going to have ramen. Is that all the idiot eats?_

"How does filet mignon on a bed of baked clams sound to you?" Naruto asked, not noticing how the cub's mouth hung open, catching flies. Taking Sasuke's silence as a 'yes', Naruto turned back around to prepare dinner for his guest.

_…I must be caught in a genjustu…_

_

* * *

_

One hour later and Sasuke sat in front of a delicious meal he would never have believed Naruto capable of making if he had not watched with his own eyes. Turning his head away from his plate and towards Naruto, he tried to keep from gawking. There stood Naruto, covered from head to foot in spices and other baking ingredients. If Sasuke had been human, he would have been laughing out loud. And it must have showed because Naruto lifted an eyebrow, before grabbing a jar of spices and pouring it all out on the wolf cub.

"Who's laughing now?" said Naruto with a smirk, kneeling down and leaning close to Sasuke with and evil glint in his eye. Sasuke flushed slightly at the closeness of his friends face, turning away. Not that you could tell if he was blushing. _Thank God for fur._

Naruto stood back up and grabbed his own plate of food, before plopping back down again on the spice covered floor. Sasuke once again wondered if Naruto realized he was eating dinner with wolf (on his kitchen floor none the less). As if sensing where Sasuke thoughts were heading, Naruto abruptly slapped his forehead and groaned loudly.

"I'm _sooo_ sorry! I never introduced myself! Oh, Naruto you idiot, no wonder he was confused" sighed Naruto, rubbing his temples. Naruto stayed quite for a moment, before extending his hand with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Naruto, but most the forest knows me by my nick name; Kit." Sasuke glanced at the outstretched hand, trying to believe what he was seeing. Then, slowly, (when he realized that his brain would simply implode if he tried to think this through) he held up his paw and dropped it into Naruto's (Kit's?) open hand. Naruto shook it firmly, his face breaking into a wide grin.

Naruto then turned back to his food, leaving Sasuke in a very confused state. _What the hell just happened? _Deciding to shrug it off, Sasuke returned to the task of trying to eat with no thumbs. It was even more difficult than it sounds. Finally getting fend up, Sasuke threw caution to the wind and dug his face into the platter of food. Thank God Naruto didn't know his best friend/rival Sasuke and the wolf cub were one in the same. He knew he would never live eating in this manner down.

When Sasuke had finished eating, Naruto began to scratch him behind the ears, lulling the wolf into a state of bliss. Sasuke leaned into the hand, feeling drowsy warmth envelop him. Sasuke's eyes were drooping, his belly was full, and sleep sounded like welcome notion.

"Now, all that's left is for us to take a bath and then get you to bed. Lets go, I've even got bubble bath."

Sasuke's eyes snapped back open and only one word entered his mind; _shit!_

**Thank you for reading part three of A Foxes Den. I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews, and also apologize if the storyline is a tad confusing. Hopefully, it will all come together in the end. The reviews were all positive, which is always nice, but feel free to add criticism, so that I have a guideline for what I need to improve on.**


	4. To grow wings and fly away

Okay, this is going to be a chaptered story, so don't panic at how short it is. This is chapter two of A Foxes Den

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

**A Foxes Den**

_This is absolutely the most embarrassing situation I have **ever** been in _thought Sasuke, watching the air bubbles float passed him towards the top of the water. There really was a perfectly valid reason for him to be hiding under the water in Naruto's bathtub. He had just yet to think of one.

* * *

When Naruto had announced his intentions (those concerning the pink bubble bath), Sasuke had stood frozen for a split second before the full meaning behind the words finally sunk in. And then he had high tailed it out of the kitchen faster than a…. a…. well, really there is nothing faster than a dirty wolf trying to _stay_ dirty.

It had taken Naruto all of two minutes to track down the cub. Plus the five minutes it took to actually drag the squirming pup into the bathroom. When the door was locked and the windows sealed, there was nothing else for Sasuke to do except await his doom (though not without a few more failed escape attempts).

" My God, you're worse than the cougar I had over last week," whined Naruto, nursing the scrapes and bruises he had 'acquired' during the chase. "And he _really _didn't like water. Not at all".

Sasuke paced nervously near the door keeping an eye trained on his captor. _This is karma, that's what it is. I should have never been snooping through Mother's trunk in the first place. Damn this jutsu and damn it being untested. This bath is going to strip me of every speck of dignity I have left._

"Oh my God, it's Sakura in nothing but her socks!" Sasuke's head shot up, startled that his female teammate was here of all places. Until he realized that he had been tricked. But by that time, he was already being hauled off towards the offending pool of pink water Naruto had been running for the last twelve minutes.

**_SPLASH_**

Sasuke resurfaced, choking on the water that had been forced up his nose when he was thrown in. Sasuke glared up at Naruto, still gasping for breath. The effect was lost because no one can really take a drowned rat all that seriously. And that was defiantly what Sasuke resembled at the moment.

"Yah, yah," mumbled Naruto, bending over to take off his socks, " I'm pure evil".

Sasuke continued to glower at his malevolent friend as he took off his shirt.

"Come now, aren't you glad to be getting rid of the spices? I personally wouldn't want to walk around town with steak spice in my hair" stated Naruto, reaching for the button on his pants.

Sasuke stared; glare forgotten as Naruto's pants fell to the tiled floor. Naruto didn't seem to notice as he rambled on about flour in ones shoes.

Sasuke's mind pulled a blank, all thoughts stalled, until Naruto's hands grasped the top of his boxer shorts and began tugging them down. Sasuke's mind then swiftly came back online (jogged by the sight of his semi-naked friend), causing him to panic and lunge under the water to safety.

_Guess that answers the boxers or briefs question._

* * *

And this is where he was currently, trying to get his emotions under control. _Why is this bothering me so much? I go swimming with him every other Thursday _agonized Sasuke, trying to ignore the little voice that kept reminding him that Naruto was never naked when they went swimming.

Inexorably running out of air, the cub was forced to kick off the bottom of the tub and head for the surface.

Gulping down the much-needed oxygen, Sasuke swung his head around looking for is blond comrade. The black eyes of the pup met the quiet, concerned ones of Naruto, who was already sitting among the pink bubbles.

_Why does he have pink bubble bath anyways?_

"There you are! I thought you had grown wings and left. You shouldn't hide like that, I was worried".

Sasuke flushed at the thought of Naruto worried about his well being, before he remembered that Naruto didn't know who he was. Sasuke's ears drooped slightly because he knew Naruto would never worry about Sasuke the way he was worried about the cub.

"You're just like Sasuke, always disappearing!" complained Naruto, making a face at the wolf. "I swear, that kid really _is_ going to grow wings and bugger off one day," sighed Naruto, slumping lower into the water.

Sasuke ears perked up, not sure if he had heard right. Naruto sat up again, reaching for some of the shampoo on the edge of the tub. "Sometimes I don't think he likes me much, you know? He treats me like a little kid all the time and calls me names. It makes me feel… I guess 'inferior' is the word I'm looking for. And then he'll turn right around and treat me like an equal. He's a tough nut to crack alright."

Sasuke stared at Naruto, dully noting that he used citrus shampoo. Naruto stayed quiet a few minutes as he washed and rinsed his hair, giving Sasuke time to think over Naruto's ideas on his ebony haired friend.

_Does he really think I treat him as an inferior? I know I can be rude but I never meant to make him feel like a lesser human being. As soon as I get my body back, I'll make it up to him. He **is** my best friend after all. That's it; I've got to escape tonight. Maybe I can get Kakashi-sensei to help me. I mean he's sure to recognize me, even if the dobe can't._

While Sasuke was planning his great escape, he failed to see Naruto sneak up on him. Rule one hundred twelve of the _Shinobi Handbook_ had yet again been thrown to the wind. The blond grabbed the wolf and pulled him over to his own side of the tub, where he quickly poured some shampoo on Sasuke's back. Sasuke continued his futile struggle to free himself until Naruto started massaging the shampoo into his thick fur. Sasuke's was once again reminded of just how tired he really was as he let the nimble fingers do their job. Mind blissfully blank, Sasuke only thought about how nice each caress felt on his aching muscles.

Naruto stopped, and Sasuke opened one bleary eye in a silent enquiry as to why Naruto stopped, until a bucket of water poured over his head and answered his question.

_Shit! What the hell? Bloody blond is going to pay for this! I'll grind his bones to make my bread. _Thought the wolf, shivering slightly at the change in temperature. _The idiot must have filled up the bucket earlier; the water's already cold!_

Naruto giggled slightly at the disgruntled cub, unperturbed by the angry stare being directed at him. You _really_ can't take a drowned rat seriously.

"Now look, it had to be washed out anyway. I just took the less creative approach to doing it" snickered Naruto, reaching for the conditioner. Sasuke backed away when he saw what Naruto was grabbing.

"You _have_ to use conditioner, your coat will be all matted if you don't. Plus all the other animals in the forest will laugh at you. A big strong wolf afraid of a little conditioner? That's pretty pathetic".

With his pride on the line, Sasuke did the only (and stupidest) thing he could; he stepped towards Naruto.

* * *

When Naruto had finished rinsing Sasuke (in a more creative fashion this time), he had pulled the plug and scooped up the cub, before exiting the bath. Sasuke had flushed bright red (not that you tell), and looked anywhere but at Naruto's naked body.

Naruto had placed Sasuke on the ground and put on his robe, but not before the damage was done. Sasuke had seen. And he was positive he wouldn't be quick to forget.

As if he could read Sasuke's mind, Naruto turned pink and bopped Sasuke on the head. "Pervert! Ookami no baka!" screeched Naruto, wrapping the robe tighter around his body.

_Why is he (ouch!) acting like (owww…) this over an animal (itai!)? _Thought Sasuke between the whacks Naruto delivered.

When the boy had finally stopped hitting Sasuke and regained his composure, he dried off the still wet wolf cub until he was once again a small cotton ball. Then Naruto unlocked the bathroom door and led Sasuke down the hall (chuckling at the wolf's strange appearance) and into the bedroom.

Plopping down on the bed, Naruto sighed, looking sideways at the pile of papers on his desk.

"I don't think I'll be able to study tonight. I'm much too tired to concentrate," stated Naruto loudly; as though sheer volume would make the fact that he wasn't doing his homework all right.

Naruto smiled a lopsided grin at Sasuke before inviting the cub up onto the bed. Sasuke obliged, not sure what else he could do. Naruto then pulled the covers over them, whispered goodnight to Sasuke, and turned off the lamp on the bedside stand. There was silence for a few minutes before Naruto spoke again.

"You can come with me to the bridge tomorrow and meet team seven, before I bring you home, if you like. Feel free to eat Sasuke while we're there," muttered Naruto, before turning over and falling asleep.

_Well, that would explain the squirrel that kept trying kill me last month _thought Sasuke, who was already creating an escape plan for the next morning.

**Thank you for reading chapter four of A Foxes Den. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Oh, and the squirrel thing is because, apparently, Naruto has been sicking animals on Sasuke in his spare time. Every one needs a hobby. The Japanese phrase 'ookami no baka' should translate roughly into 'stupid wolf' or 'idiot wolf', but if it doesn't, please drop me a line and tell me what it _does _say. Thank you for all the reviews, and I apologize at how long this took to post. Thank you again.**

**P.S. The drowned rat comment, for anyone who is not familiar with it, refers to how silly something looks when it's been soaked. An example is a wet cat (we all know how funny they look).**


	5. The Letter

Okay, this is going to be a chaptered story, so don't panic at how short it is. This is chapter two of A Foxes Den

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

**A Foxes Den**

_I am going to murder that scarecrow with extreme malice! Just you wait until I get my body back! Then you'll be sorry you ever messed with Uchiha Sasuke! _Thought Sasuke, growling menacingly at his teacher's back. Kakashi just turned and waved cheerfully at the wolf cub and his blond student, before turning the corner and walking out of sight.

* * *

**Eleven hours earlier…**

Sasuke had not gotten much sleep that night. Once Naruto had fallen into a deep sleep, the cub had jumped off the bed and ran out the open bedroom door. Coming to a skidding stop in Naruto's living room, Sasuke sat down to try and think out his problem logically.

_I must've aged three years today. _Mused Sasuke, glad to be out of Naruto's bedroom to think. No matter how much he had tried, he had not been able to think properly in the same bed as a sleeping Naruto. _What the hell is wrong with me? I've never had this reaction before. It's **just** Naruto, god dammit!_

But even as Sasuke tried to convince himself that his friend was nothing, he knew he was lying. He may not of known what Naruto was to him, but he **did** know that it must be something important. Why else would he be feeling so strange in the company of his friend?

Shaking his head of such trivial thoughts, Sasuke concentrated on the problem at hand. He could always solve the Naruto issue later. _I can't do seals (no fingers…), the chakra hold won't release, and the doors and windows are all locked. Why does he lock up in the first place? I'm going to have so many questions for that blond idiot when I'm human again. When did he start cooking? What does he mean when he says his name is Kit? Why does he talk to animals? Gak! **Why does he have pink bubble bath?** _Thought Sasuke, well aware that he was off topic and rambling. He had been through too much the last 15 hours to care much about anything anymore.

Hearing a sound outside, Sasuke cut his rambling short to listen. **Step, Step, Step, mumble, mumble, laugh, quick steps, and _SMASH! _**Sasuke watched as the glass from the window rained down, settling into the carpet. A brick rested on the floor, a piece of paper tied to it with some twine. Sasuke was vaguely aware that the people were getting away, but he was more interested in the note. He crept forward, careful to avoid the glass that littered the floor.

A sudden noise behind him caused Sasuke to assume defensive position. The wolf stood stalk still, as the noise got closer, silently running over his options. As a ninja, the solution would've been easy, but as a wolf cub, his choices were somewhat limited. Deciding to simply bite the intruder, Sasuke turned quickly towards the steady thumping. And then he froze. Ahead of him stood someone he recognized, but did not know. The man looked like Naruto, but the eyes… the eyes were not those of his best friend. The eyes were those of someone who had been through too much. The eyes of someone who had lost all hope for the future and who had never really forgiven the past.

The young man walked past the cub, not bothering to avoid stepping on the sharp shards of glass. He bent over to untie the note, before straightening up to read it. His eyes skimmed quickly across the page he held in his shaking hands. Naruto then dropped the letter and walked over to the window, looking out and down at the street below. He stood there silently for a moment or two, before walking in the direction of his bedroom. Pausing in front of the door Naruto whispered so quietly that Sasuke was sure he would not have been able to hear had he been human.

"Don't stay up too late. We leave early tomorrow," said the man that might as well of been a shadow, before entering the dark room. Sasuke stood silent within the scattered glass for a long time, his mind trying to piece together the new information. _At least I know why he locks his doors and seals the windows. _Suddenly remembering the letter Naruto had left on the ground, Sasuke picked his way through the glass. Flipping over the note with his snout, the cub read the letter. His heart stopped.

_A freak like you should never have been born. You murderer! How dare you show your face in this town after your crimes! Obviously, last weeks lesson taught you nothing. You want us to rape you again freak? It would be better you were dead. Everyone would be happier. You think you have friends, but everyone hates you! You're lower than dirt. Just die and get over with. _

Sasuke stood shakily. His legs felt weak and he was sick to his stomach. Stumbling away from the hate mail, he collapsed against the wall and threw up. _Rape? Oh God Naruto, I had no idea. I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry. _

The cub wept that night, whining and howling into the wind that whistled through the smashed window.

* * *

"Rise and shine!" Screeched a cheery voice in Sasuke's ear. Jerking out of his fitful sleep, Sasuke looked around for the owner of the offending voice. There stood Naruto, the Naruto that Sasuke knew, with a lopsided grin on his face.

"Up and at'im! You slept _forever_! I'm going to be late if you don't get off your lazy ass!" Sasuke shot up off the bed and… bed? Sure enough Naruto had moved him to the bed during the night. Naruto looked quizzically at the cub as said wolf ran from the bedroom and into the living room. Naruto shrugged his shoulders and walked after Sasuke.

_How the hell…_ The glass had been picked up, the brick thrown out, and the window boarded up. Naruto walked in, looking as if nothing had ever had happened. _But he was **raped**! Why does he look like nothing happened?_

Naruto looked sideways at the boards nailed to the window, his face drooping slightly.

"It's nothing, I'm used to it now" said Naruto quietly, as if knowing what Sasuke was thinking. " The beatings stopped hurting a long time ago."

_How come he can always tell what I'm thinking about, even if I'm not human? _

Sasuke watched as Naruto fidgeted with the necklace around his neck, not understanding when his friend had changed. _Maybe he was always this way, and you never noticed, Sasuke no baka._

Perking up, Naruto kneeled down by the wolf, ruffling his coat. "Don't worry about it. What you should be worrying about is how we're twenty minutes late to meet team seven. Sasuke's going to be rubbing it in my face all day" groaned Naruto, scooping up the cub and ducking out the front door. After fiddling with the locks for a moment, Naruto darted down the stairs, running towards the bridge that was team seven's meeting place.

* * *

Sakura had flipped out when Naruto showed up with a wolf at his heels. She spent the next hour keeping her distance from Naruto and the cub, while enquiring about Sasuke's location. If only she knew he _was_ the wolf. Sasuke's thoughts were not focused on Sakura though, but rather on changing back into a human and helping Naruto.

_Where is that good-for-nothing teacher? Why does he always have to be late? He does it on purpose, and he knows we know. So why does he still do it?_

A sudden poof of smoke interrupted any further thoughts.

"You're late!" Shouted his companions in their normal response to Kakashi's tardiness.

"Well, There was a stampede of meerkats heading for the village and I had to…"

Kakashi was cut off by the predictable: "liar!" It was here that Kakashi noticed one of his students was missing.

"Where is Sasuke?" inquired Kakashi.

"We don't know. I hope he's not hurt…" and " Bah! Who care's about that bastard!" were his answers. Kakashi rolled his visible eye at the foreseen responses.

Noticing the wolf, Kakashi asked Naruto who his friend was.

"He stayed over last night. I brought him to the bridge to eat Sasuke-teme, but the jerk never showed up…" Pouted Naruto, ignoring the look Sakura gave him.

"I see…" mumbled Kakashi, bending over to study the wolf.

"Yip!" screeched the pup, trying to get Kakashi to realize who he was. "Yip Bark Bark Whiiiiine!"

Kakashi's eye widened for a second before retuning to its normal crescent moon shape. One could only assume he was smiling.

"Naruto" called Kakashi, drawing Naruto's attention away from the brewing fight between the boy and Sakura (most likely over Sasuke).

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?" Said Naruto ignoring Sakura's angry glares.

"Can I borrow your wolf-friend for a second?" Sakura cast a surprised look at her teacher, wondering 'what he was on', while Naruto acted like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Sure" stated Naruto, before turning back to Sakura to continue their argument.

* * *

After walking away from the bridge, and their teammates, Kakashi sat cross-legged on the dirt path next to the wolf.

"Alright Sasuke," sighed Kakashi "Why, exactly are you a wolf?"

Sasuke would have jumped for joy, if that had been something an Uchiha did. It wasn't, but he was very happy nonetheless.

"Yip! Bark Yip Bark!" said Sasuke, before bowing his head in both humiliation and defeat. He had finally found Kakashi and he couldn't even tell him what he wanted.

Sighing, Kakashi summoned one of his dog ninja to translate. Sasuke tried again, this time directing his barks at the dog.

"He says" translated the dog " That he used an untested jutsu to escape his fan club and got stuck. He asks how he can turn back."

Kakashi thought over the request before gesturing Sasuke closer. Sasuke leaned in closer, excited to be turning back into a human soon.

"You must…" whispered Kakashi, "kiss your one true love!" Sasuke reeled backwards, his eyes wide. "I think Naruto's still free" Said Kakashi watching as Naruto waved goodbye to Sakura and headed in their direction. "He's a good choice."

Sasuke gawked at Kakashi, his mouth hanging open. Kakashi let out a strange giggle before leaning forward again.

"All right, I lied. The real way to release the technique is to…" he whispered in Sasuke's sensitive wolf ear **"I'm not telling!"** he finished, shouting and scaring the shit out of poor Sasuke.

Just as Sasuke was about to take a chunk out of Kakashi's arm, Naruto showed up.

"Sakura say's she's leaving to go look for Sasuke. What are you two talking about?" asked Naruto, cocking his head to the side.

"Ah ha ha ha" giggled Kakashi nervously, backing away from the bared fangs of the wolf. "I was actually just leaving," said Kakashi quickly, pulling himself off the ground and walking off down the street before Sasuke could gnaw his leg off.

_I am going to murder that scarecrow with extreme malice! Just you wait until I get my body back! Then you'll be sorry you ever messed with Uchiha Sasuke! _Thought Sasuke, growling menacingly at his teacher's back. Kakashi just turned and waved cheerfully at the wolf cub and his blond student, before turning the corner and walking out of sight.

* * *

**Thank you for reading chapter 5 of A foxes Den. I hope you enjoyed it, even if it was a tad confusing to read. Oh, and thank you for all the reviews. I still can't believe 30 people bothered reviewing. Thank you all so much! Reviews make the day pass a little bit faster. It was hard to write the part about the letter, but the Naruto in this story has been to hell and back, and I needed a way to give Sasuke a glimpse into that side of Naruto. It still made me sad though. Thank you again for all the reviews, and for taking the time to read this story.**


	6. Failed Memo

Welcome to chapter **SIX **of A Foxes Den. Not chapter two. (Can you believe I kept missing that?)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

As an extra note, when the animals are talking to each other, their speech will be underlined. Okay?

**A Foxes Den**

* * *

_Well, That explains some key questions… _thought Sasuke, wondering when exactly the world had gone insane (and why it had failed to send him a memo).

* * *

"Come _on_!" hollered Naruto, dragging the cub down the street by the scruff of his neck. After Kakashi had blatantly refused to help the wolf and disappeared, Sasuke had wanted nothing more than to give chase. Kakashi had forfeited his leg when he chose to ignore Sasuke's pleas, and the wolf cub was looking for his payment. Of course, Naruto had not understood why his furry companion had suddenly darted off down the path. Even if he _did _know, he just wasn't being very understanding of Sasuke's need to tear the Jounin limb from limb. 

Sasuke turned around to growl and snap at Naruto's hand, but stopped when a sharp swat was felt on the back of his head. He looked up blearily at Naruto, his face scrunched up in a look that said '_how could you?_'

"Oh, shush up!" said Naruto, apparently unaffected by the wolf's piteous look. "Kakashi has a way of getting on everyone's bad side. You'll get over it. Whatever he said to you, ignore it. He really is a good guy deep down".

_Pffft _thought Sasuke _Maybe **really, REALLY**, deep down. I personally think he's evil. Not just any old evil either; dark overlord kind of evil. _Sasuke finally stopped tugging Naruto down the path, vowing to track down his teacher later, when he was unhindered by a tail and had all of his ninja skills back.

Looking relieved, Naruto plopped down in the middle of the path, unmindful of those who might walk down it. _Like anyone wouldn't turn around when they saw a ninja and a wolf sitting in the middle of the path. They'd either be very brave or very stupid. Which are often the same thing._

Naruto raised his head and looked at the cub, who seemed to be smirking at it's own hidden thoughts. It almost reminded him of his best friend/rival. Shaking the troubling thoughts from his head, Narutonudged the cub out of its daze. It gave him an irritated look, reminding the blond yet again of his raven-haired companion.

"Yah, Yah. I'm so frightened of the big, bad wolf. Pick on someone your own size. …Like Akamaru! Sakura asked if we could come into the village to help search for her beloved. Well, technically she only asked me… but beggars can't be choosers. Maybe we'll run into the gang while we're looking for Sasuke-teme." Naruto finished his rambling, hismouth puckeringas if he had eaten something sour, instead of just saying Sasuke's name. Sasuke felt the same way, and promised to tell the dumb blond as soon as he was human again.

* * *

Sasuke had never thought Konoha a very hostile village. In fact, the village was rumored to coddle their ninja. Obviously the workers of the rumor mill had never decided to prance through the village with Naruto by their side. 

Sasuke looked up at Naruto, expecting his face to be twisted in pain or anger. Instead Naruto took the glares with a practiced ease, occasionally smiling at the glowering villagers. Sasuke wondered briefly why he had never noticed the looks before. Until it hit him like a ton of bricks; they would never have dared to glare at the remaining Uchiha. They respected him andlooked forward to the day he rebuilt Konohagakure's most prized clan.

_I should turn gay just to spite them _thought Sasuke, imagining their shocked and ashamed faces. He couldn't help but laugh at the imagined anguish on their faces, but the laugh came out as an odd sort of hissing sound.

Naruto glanced down at his friend, arching one blond eyebrow.

"What, if you don't mind my asking, is so darn funny?"

The wolf tried glaring back at Naruto, but the look was lost. Sasuke eyes sparkled with amusement, leaving the glare looking (as Naruto would put it) 'half-assed'. Before the blond could make a remark though, a loud shout echoed down the deserted street they were currently walking down.

"Oiiii! Naruto!" Sasuke turned his head sharply in the direction of the voice, already knowing whom it was. Kiba was running down the street in their direction, a blushing Hinata in hand. Akamaru ran ahead of his master, barreling down the alley towards Sasuke and Naruto.

Before Naruto could shout back a response, the dog had him pinned and was busy licking his face. Naruto struggled, telling the dog to get off of him, but Sasuke could tell that his friend was enjoying the affection.

Kiba finally caught up to where Naruto lie sprawled on the ground. He let go of Hinata's hand and used both his hands to grab hold of the overgrown mutt and pull him off Naruto.

If anyone had said Akamaru was small, Sasuke would have laughed outrightin his or her face. That dog was _**huge**_. It seemed that Akamaru had hit a growth spurt a few years back, and had grown at an outstanding rate. His head now sat just above Sasuke's hips.

"Oh, get off, you big oaf" said Kiba, not really meaning the words and only restraining the dog half-heartedly.

Naruto got up, brushing the dirt off his pants.

"Jeez Kiba, can't you control that mutt?" asked Naruto, beaming at his two companions. Kiba grinned, sending a rude remark Naruto's way, while Hinata just stared at the ground and played with her fingers. Sasuke watched the exchange with detached interest, noting the similarities between the two loud-mouthed ninja's. Kiba finally looked over at Sasuke, realizing the wolf's presence for the first time.

"Whoa man," whispered Kiba, thinking the cub couldn't hear him (the cub could, and was quite pissed at the feral boy) "Why in hell do you have a wolf with you?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Do you _really_ think he can't hear us dog-breath?"

Kiba made a face at Naruto, which Naruto gladly returned. After a few more rounds of face making, Kiba re-voiced his question, without the whispering.

"I found him," said Naruto, still making faces behind Kiba's back, "the thing fell asleep on my clothes while I was swimming. I took him with me when it started raining because I had no other choices. I know for a fact that there are no wolf tribes in the south forest; he must've been lost. I'm going to take him back today and help him find his clan."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulder's, glancing down at his charge. "I'll ask around the forest, someone's bound to have seen him before."

Kiba stared at Naruto for a while, trying to make sense of what he had just said, until finally deciding that he probably didn't want to know any way.

It was then that Sasuke realized just how close the big dog hadgotten to himwhile he was distracted by the odd conversation. Sniffing the cub, Akamaru abruptly backed away when he placed the scent.

Uchiha Sasuke? Asked Akamaru, causing the wolf cub to jump. Sasuke had never heard the dog speak, and it had surprised him (though he'd never admit it out loud).

Yes… Tried Sasuke, wondering if this communication thing worked both ways. When he had talked to Kakashi's ninja dog, he had only been directing his words through the dog, and he still wasn't completely sure if he could communicate back.

What the hell? Screeched the dog, causing the humans to look surprised at his huge bark. Kiba rushed over to the dog, immediately demanding what was wrong. Akamaru looked sheepish and mumbled that nothing was wrong. Kiba then started fighting with the dog, throwing him insults for worrying him over nothing, which Akamaru gladly returned. Sasuke noted that neither the master nor the pet had any manners.

After Kiba stomped back to Hinata and Naruto, Akamaru turned back to Sasuke with a puzzled expression. So… Why exactly are you a wolf?

Sasuke huffed, looking the other way. Do you really think I like being stuck with the dobe? I made a mistake and I'm stuck like this until I can figure out how to reverse it.

Akamaru looked from Sasuke to Naruto then back to Sasuke again, before breaking out into a wide dog grin. I personally think you like being with him. In fact I think you kind of like, **like** him.

Sasuke stared up at the mutt in mute horror. _Oh my God…_thought Sasuke _I can't believe **anyone** would think that, never mind two people in one day. Is that really the vibe I'm giving off? _

The big dog looked down on the cub with a bemused sparkle in his eye. Well, more power to you, my friend. I don't care which lane you drive in as long as you're happy with your mate. The dog then trotted away from the wide-eyed wolf, towards his master, who was just wrapping up his conversation with Naruto.

"Alright man, we'll keep an eye out for the resident bastard" yelled Kiba, as he walked down the lane the way he came, Hinata following suit. Slipping her hand into Kiba's, she turned back to wave to Naruto, before disappearing with her boyfriend and his dog.

Naruto looked after them for a few moments before turning and walking over to the still stunned pup.

"My God, you look like someone just stole your ramen!" said Naruto, breaking the cub from his stupefied spell. Sasuke blushed and turned his head away, but Naruto couldn't see the tinged cheeks any ways. _Thank the lord for fur…_

* * *

Sasuke ran to keep up with the idiot blond, cursing his shortened leg span. 

When Sasuke had reigned in his emotions, Naruto had promptly turned to the cub and said, "Well, I'm done looking for Sasuke-teme, how about you?" After that, Naruto had taken off in the direction of the forest, saying something about finding the cub's tribe. The thing was, Sasuke didn't have a tribe. A fact he was starting to worry about as they ran throught cet forest.

_Oh no, what's going to happen when he figures out I'm not really a wolf? He'll think I played him for a fool. ...Wait a second…it's not like he can talk to the animals, and they wouldn't know me even if he could. Although who knows? Lord knows that boy's given me more surprises these last two days than I've had in my entire life. _

Sasuke's ramblings were cut off when he ran head first into a pair of legs. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had failed to notice when the boy had stopped. Glaring up at the blond as if it we're his fault, Sasuke was surprised to see the boy creating seals. Sasuke looked closely at the seals, recognizing some of them; the snake, the rooster, the ox, but not knowing what the other ones were.

"Buyou doubutsu no kage" Shouted Naruto, as he made the last seal. There was a poof of smoke that burned Sasuke's eyes and nose. After the smoke had cleared, Sasuke looked up for his friend, but couldn't see him. Searching around frantically for Naruto, Sasuke was more than a little surprised when he heard a voice come from under him.

Ahem! I'm down here. Sasuke slowly lowered his gaze to that of a blue-eyed, red furred fox. Hi! Said the fox, unmindful of Sasuke's stares, my name's Kit, nice to meet you! Again.

_Well, That explains some key questions… _thought Sasuke, wondering when exactly the world had gone insane (and why it had failed to send him a memo).

* * *

**Thank you for reading chapter six of A Foxes Den. Sorry it took so long to update --; My mid-term's are coming up, as well as Christmas, so I've been a bit short on time. So, Naruto's secret is out and I'm slowly driving Sasuke to insanity… what fun! The boy needs a little insanity any ways, he's _way_ to uptight. I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing. I absolutely _love_ feedback (there's nothing better then logging in to find that someone has left you a big fat review). Thank you all so much. I'll update as soon as possible, but that probably won't be until after the holiday's so please sit tight. Thank you again.**

**P.S. **Buyou doubutsu no kage **should translate roughly into 'dance of the animal shadow'. If this is a big glaring error, please tell me so I can fix it. Thank you.**


	7. The Foxes Den

Welcome to chapter seven of **A Foxes Den.**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

As an extra note, when the animals are talking to each other, their speech will be underlined. Okay?

**A Foxes Den**

Ahem! I'm down here. Sasuke slowly lowered his gaze to that of a blue-eyed, red furred fox. Hi! Said the fox, unmindful of Sasuke's stares, my name's Kit, nice to meet you! Again.

Sasuke just continued to stare, his mind unable to wrap around the current situation. And then his world crashed around his ankles.

_Oh God! This…This… This actually explains a fair bit._ Thought Sasuke, as pieces of the puzzle fell into place. _That's why he kept talking to me and that's why he was so keen on taking animals home. Because he can understand them!_ Sasuke was suddenly very glad that he had not said much in the presence of his blond companion. If Naruto had figured it out, Sasuke would never be able to live down the humiliation of the last few days.

Ummm… Are you all right? You don't look so hot. Said Naruto, cocking his head to look up at the wolf. Shaken out of his thoughts, Sasuke realized just how screwed he actually was. He had no excuse not to talk back now, and if he did speak then the dobe would know his identity. And then Sasuke would be right back at square one.

_No choice. I'll just have to pretend that I can't speak. _And so Sasuke decided to go with his less than brilliant plan. Hopefully he'd be able to pull it off despite the holes that riddled this strategy.

Finally Sasuke nodded at Naruto (Kit?) trying to indicate that he was indeed all right. Naruto stared at him a few minutes before shaking off the feeling of deja vu that had cloaked him.

You really are a shy one. Especially for a wolf. I usually can't get your kind to shut up. Oh well, it might be nice to have a quiet companion for once. Said Naruto as he turned around and disappeared into the thick foliage of the forest. Sasuke just sat in the clearing, staring in the direction that Naruto had left. Finally Naruto stuck his head through the leaves, his face in what must be as close as a fox got to a frown.

Are you coming or not? C'mon slowpoke, we haven't got all day!

Sasuke dragged himself into the bush, wondering if he should have made a break for it while he had had the chance.

* * *

Naruto ran through the forest with a speed and grace Sasuke would never have expected from his idiot companion. Just how much did he actually know about Naruto? Sasuke's mind drifted back to the note from the night before. He obviously knew very little. 

Naruto again came to a sudden halt, causing Sasuke to yet again crash into him. Sasuke almost yelled at the idiot blond, until he remembered that his pride relied on him keeping silent. Settling on a good old-fashioned glare, Sasuke turned to face his furry foe. Sasuke stopped short upon seeing Kit (Oh God, he was starting to make a connection between the two) sniffing the ground before stalking over to a bush and growling.

By this time of course, Sasuke had already permanently dubbed his friend as insane. At least until a rabbit darted out from the leaves and dived between Sasuke's legs. This did not bode well with Sasuke. Shouldn't a Rabbit be more scared of a wolf then a fox?

Jingo! You're ass is mine! Growled Kit before jumping up and pinning the quivering ball of fluff. Needless to say, Sasuke was more than a little surprised.

Gak! I'm sorry Kit! You know I didn't mean nu'ttin by it. I had to! They would've had my head if I hadn't talked. Just a joke, you know? Besides, you got away all right. Whimpered the rabbit from between the fox's legs.

You had to? Jingo, you bastard, you had no obligation to them whatsoever. And yet you sold me out to the underground? And for what, hmmm? Now you better listen up, and you better listen well: you sell me out again and you won't be alive to collect you're reward because I'll tear you limb from limb. Got it?

The rabbit nodded fearfully. Kit looked into his eyes for a moment before his whole demeanor changed. Suddenly he was back to the fun loving, carefree Naruto that Sasuke knew and loved. For which he was grateful. That other personality scared Sasuke to no end.

Sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you said Kit looking at Sasuke, Sometimes you just need to show them who's boss, as I'm sure you well know. Sasuke didn't know, but he supposed it was a common occurrence in the animal kingdom.

Kit once again turned to Jingo, who automatically flinched. Kit shook his head; I won't hurt you unless you hurt me. Now, I have an assignment for you. It's of the utmost importance. I recently found this cub in the southern forest. As you well know, there are no wolf tribes in those parts. I need you to find out if any of the wolf tribes are missing pups. Spread my orders through the network and report back to me a sun down with information. 

The rabbit quickly saluted and scampered off leaving Sasuke alone with Kit once again. Kit groaned and put a paw on his snout. Sasuke supposed it was similar to rubbing your temples when you had a headache.

Jingo sold me out to the underworld about two months ago. He was one of my spies, at least until he sold me out. I rescued him from the river a year ago. As payment, he joined my team. And then sold me out. I had the mafia after me, so I disappeared for a while. I only came back to the forest a week ago.

Sasuke just stared. The forest had an underworld? _A_ _mafia?_ Sasuke suddenly felt very ill informed about the world around him.

Kit waved a paw in front of Sasuke's face, trying to lift the wolf out of his stupor (something which Sasuke found himself doing a lot of lately).

Anyways, we might as well head to the Den. Nothing much to do except wait for Jingo to get the word out. As fast as he is, it'll probably take him a good while to get the news to the wolf tribes. They're quite a ways from this area. You got quite far on your own, little one.

Sasuke let out a deep-throated growl at being called little. Kit just laughed, but Sasuke was too surprised to snap at him. Sasuke's mannerisms were getting more and more like a wolf. A proper Uchiha never growled.

_Is this a side effect? _Thought Sasuke, not paying attention to where Kit was leading them.

We're here! Whispered Kit, shaking Sasuke out of his thoughts.

With a start, Sasuke realized that they had reached their destination. Kit looked smug as Sasuke gawked at the towering mountain. The mountain in itself wasn't that incredible, and neither was the beautiful waterfall. But behind the waterfall was an entrance to a deep, dark cave. And coming from the cave were dozens of voices, eerily echoing off the stone walls.

Welcome said Kit proudly, to The Foxes Den.

* * *

**Well… Who expected that? I certainly didn't (okay, maybe a little). This chapter was more of a filler to introduce you into the wonderful animal kingdom, so don't worry about the lack of romance. It'll come.**

**I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews. I would never have expected to get so many reviews for this story. I'm sure you all have a lot of questions, but hopefully they'll all be answered in the future. It just may take awhile. Especially since this is looking like it may be a long story. I hope you'll all ride it out to the end.**


	8. Captain

Welcome to chapter eightof **A Foxes Den.**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of **Naruto**'s characters, not even Akamaru.

Summery: To escape Valentine's day and all that comes with it, Sasuke uses an untested jutsu and lands himself in the foxes den.

Warning: This story will contain language and sasunaru. Buyers beware.

As an extra note, when the animals are talking to each other, their speech will be underlined. Okay?

**A Foxes Den**

Welcome, said Kit proudly, to The Foxes Den.

Sasuke just stared. The voices continued to echo from the cave in a ghostly chorus. He was unsure of what to think. Stepping forward after Kit as he slowly descended into the cave, Sasuke couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding.

They walked for what seemed like eons to Sasuke, though it couldn't have been more than a few minutes. His paws scratched on the rough stones as the silence stretched out between the two animals, unnerving Sasuke more than he'd ever admit. He was unused to Naruto's silence. Hell, the two words didn't even belong in the same sentence. Finally, Sasuke saw the light at the end of the tunnel, in a quite literal sense. Squinting his eyes against the harsh glow, Sasuke stepped out into a clearing.

_Oh my god_ thought Sasuke, looking around the crisp clearing. The voices had stopped, but Kit was more than willing to fill the silence.

So, what do you think? Pretty cool, right? Said Kit, circling around the stunned wolf cub. This is The Foxes Den; home base of the rebellion.

Kit then turned and looked around the clearing with narrowed eyes. Come on out guys, he's with me.

At his command, animals of all species came into view, leaving their various hiding places. Sasuke stared in awe as cougar sat beside a squirrel, who sat beside a rabbit, who sat beside another wolf. They made no move to attack each other, just sat there looking at Kit, respect obvious in their eyes.

All right troops, listen up! Yelled Kit suddenly, addressing the animals. There was silence for a moment before the fox fell to his side, making what Sasuke presumed were chuckling noises. The other soon joined in, gathering around the red pile of fur and speaking words of welcome.

Sasuke sat bewildered in the corner, eyes the size of saucers. _What the Hell is going on around here_? Thought the cub, wishing very much that the world would make sense again.

As if sensing his distress, Naruto got up and made his way over to Sasuke, still laughing softly.

This, started Kit, is a friend of mine, cocking his head in Sasuke's direction. It seems he was separated from his tribe. If any of you recognize him speak now, or forever hold your peace. When Kit received no answer besides a few giggles, he continued; all right then. We wait until Jingo gets back with his report.

An angry murmur went through the crowd of about twenty.

Captain said the Cougar, stepping forward out of the crowd, do you mean to tell us that you sent that traitor out in your name?

Sasuke swung his head in Kit's direction, startled by the title. _Captain? Naruto is a captain? Of a rebellion? _Thought Sasuke, yet again wondering what he actually knew of his blond companion.

I sent Jingo out, yes. He has sworn to deliver a message to the wolf tribes on our cub friend. You all know that he was my fastest messenger, stated Naruto, staring down the mob of beasts.

The animal shifted uncomfortably, and this time a sparrow hopped forward. But Captain, how are you sure he will not once again sell you out? He has done it once before, he will do it again! Several animals nodded their heads in agreement.

Kit shot them a dark look, before shaking his head sadly. What Jingo did was wrong, we all agree on this, but I am nothing if not forgiving. You all know this. I will give him a second chance.

Kit then looked away, any remains of the conversation wiped from his face and replaced with a fox-like grin. Now, please make our guest feel welcome as we await news of his tribe. Kilia and Tyhero, come with me.

Sasuke was unable to see whom Kilia and Tyhero were before he was surrounded by a mass of well wishing animals.

Oh, you poor dear! So young and so far from home!

Can I get you anything?

Boy, are you ever a cutie!

Sasuke turned his head in the direction of the last speaker. The wolf he had seen earlier was leaning over him, making strange cooing noises. She was obviously female.

Oh wow, you are absolutely darling. I would take you right now if you were older!

Sasuke's eyes continued to grow wider as the she-wolf listened off the many things she would do to him when he was older. Finally, Naruto came back form wherever he had gone, just in time to save Sasuke from further embarrassment.

The sun will be setting soon, stated Naruto/Kit, let's see if Jingo came through, or if I have to hunt him down and wear his intestines as a coat. Sasuke cringed at the sudden mental picture Naruto had been kind enough to call up.

The animals sat in silence, watching the sun sink beneath the mountain peaks. Sasuke sat lost in his own thoughts concerning the past few days.

_My world no longer makes sense! Life made sense before, in its own strange way. Now I am stuck as a wolf, surrounded by a rebellion of animals, in a forest with a mafia, beside my best friend, who uses pink bubble bath and is a fox! Heck, I know jack shit about him. His likes, his dislikes, what he does in his spare time. _Sasuke suddenly thought back to the note from last night, _His pains and sorrows. I know absolutely nothing. _Sasuke severely wished for a wall to slam his fist into. He also wished for a fist, come to think of it.

Sasuke heard a scuffling behind him, coming from the mouth of the cave. It was obvious that the other animals heard it when they turned as one to look into the darkness, several of them glaring and growling.

Finally, the ball of fluff that was Jingo skittered out of the cave and tumbled in front of Kit. His chest was heaving and it was obvious that he had run a very long distance in a short period of time.

Still catching his breath, Jingo managed to deliver his report. Captain, I asked the East and South Tribes, but they've lost none since the spring. The Urgazhi Tribe is all accounted for and the Aurenen Tribe has found the bodies of those killed in the last week. All in all, none of the tribes claim to be missing any young.

Kit looked at Jingo for a moment, staring him down, before turning his gaze thoughtfully to Sasuke.

If what Jingo said is true, and it better be if he knows what's good for him, this cub is either an outcast or from elsewhere. Since he cannot speak, it seems that investigations are in order. We will set off tomorrow in an Omega Pattern. Kilia will check our east connections, and Kasato will check the west. I want Tomoyo on the air and Beetle along the rushes. I want this mystery solved and soon. It will only be a matter of time before the humans realize I am gone. I want his tribe found before then. Naruto looked over his "troops" as they nodded their heads in agreement.

He then broke into a wide grin, all seriousness forgotten. Until then, I want you all to relax and have a good time. Let the festivities begin! Kit shouted, followed by the roar of his faithful followers.

* * *

Three hours later, when what Sasuke assumed was an animal party had died down, Naruto made his way over the sleeping bodies to where Sasuke sat, a bewildered expression plastered on his face. _There is no way any of this is real…It's all one fucked up dream that was induced by something equally fucked up. _However much he tried to convince himself that it was all a dream though, he knew deep down that it wasn't. He also knew deep down that he'd be in counseling until he was forty. 

Hey, how you feeling? Asked Kit, siding up to Sasuke. I'm really sorry that we couldn't find your tribe today, but I promise that we will. My team has yet to fail me. Sasuke just shook his head thanks, knowing that they would never actually be able to find his "tribe".

Until then though, said Naruto, a sheepish smile across his snout, you should get some sleep. Too much partying will tax your strength. Come on, you can share my bunk tonight.

Kit got up and walked away, obviously expecting Sasuke to follow him. Blushing (or as close as a wolf could get to blushing) Sasuke soon followed.

_Forget forty years of counseling, _thought the cub,_ I'm defiantly going to be in counseling until I die. Which actually__ might__ be quite soon considering my current luck… _

* * *

**Hello again! My, has it ever been a long time. Thank you all very much for waiting patiently while I was in the hospital due to a relapse (joy…). I am so happy to be out and writing again. I'd also like to thank everyone who reviewed since the start of this story. While I was in the hospital, I reread all my reviews. They made me very happy, so I thank anyone who ever took the time to review one of my stories. **

**Don't worry about all the new names. If you ever actually get to meet them through the story it will be a brief meeting. I'm never too fond of original characters, especially not scores of them. Thank you for reading this chapter, and I hope that you tune in next time for chapter nine.**

**P.S. I'd like to mention that when I wrote Akamaru as being a large dog, the chapters of the second season (when Naruto is 15 or 16) had yet to be released. I just thought that was cool.**


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